Mad World
by PychoDoughnut
Summary: The life of a teen spy is hard, especially for Kinomoto Sakura. Her family is dead, her best friend has abandoned her and everyone thinks she goes to rehab. Whats a girl to do? Certainly not... fall for the guy assigned to kill her.
1. 01: Welcome Back

**M A D W O R L D**

_The life of a teen spy is hard, especially for Kinomoto Sakura. Her family is dead, her best friend has abandoned her and everyone thinks she goes to rehab. Whats a girl to do? Certainly not... fall for the guy assigned to kill her. SS_

**Author's Note**:

This is a super-revised version of the original Mad World. There are little changes, but the plots basically the same.

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own CCS or the Alex Rider series.

**CHAPTER ONE**

**W E L C O M E. B A C K.**

* * *

It was an ordinary day at Seijyo High.

Students crowded the halls, leisurely conversing with one another. The minutes ticked by and finally the first bell rang. Slowly, the crowds began to disappear into classrooms.

It had been a month since school began.

There were twenty-one students in Terada-sensei's calculus class. All of them were in their fourth year of high school.

Today, he saw a note on his attendance sheet that informed him of a new student that would set his class at an even twenty-two students.

Kinomoto Sakura.

Terada-sensei had heard about this girl from his students and fellow teachers quite a few times before. She was very popular her freshman year. After that, things sort of fell apart for her.

It began with long absences, some that would extend for weeks at a time. After she returned, Kinomoto would have multiple injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to broken bones and sprains. To everyone's surprise, her work would always be completed in a timely manner and her grades would remain intact.

Even though he didn't personally know the girl, Terada already felt sorry for her. Based on what he heard about Kinomoto, who had just been appointed as head cheer captain, lost the position that she worked so hard for. To top it all off, she was booted off the squad.

Things must have changed drastically during the summer, Terada thought. If anyone in the school was to deserve the spot, it was Kinomoto.

The minute hand on the classroom clock jerked to the right, and the tardy bell rang.

"Alright class," Terada-sensei said and clapped his hands together. "Time for warm-ups. These problems are great!"

The class groaned and settled down. They pulled out their math notebooks.

A late student suddenly rushed through the door.

"Li-san, you are late." Terada admonished, not even needing to look at the student to know who she was.

Li Meilin smiled, her black ponytail still swaying from her rush. She was sitting in her seat with her notebook out. "No I wasn't, see? I was sitting here the whole time!" she said, slightly out of breath.

"Right." Terada shook his head. She wasn't particularly bright, he wondered how she made into his class. He decided to mark her late anyway. "Today we have a new student." He announced.

There were a few comments and hushed giggles. Terada-sensei scanned the room. "I don't think she is here at the moment, but please make Seijyo High a pleasant place for her, okay?"

_Her, eh_? The boys in the class started their own side conversations and glanced at the door every once in a while.

Ten minutes into class, the students were settled in and working away and the warm-up equations. As expected, the door opened and the new student walked into the class room.

Unexpectedly a student shrieked, "SAKURA!"

The class burst into a series of whispers. Kinomoto was standing at the door way and did not seem to notice the hushed conversations about her. Terada noticed that she was terribly thin and very pale. Her hair was a dull brown color and tied in an unimpressive low ponytail. Her eyes looked wary, and below her left eye Terada noticed a thin scar.

Terada-sensei turned to Daidouji Tomoyo, who was standing by her desk, gaping at Kinomoto. Kinomoto smiled at Daidouji, then walked over to Terada and handed him a note.

"I apologize for my lateness, Terada-sensei." She said quietly. Terada scanned over a copy of a doctor's note and nodded.

"_Please excuse Kinomoto Sakura extended absence_. . ."

She was hit by a car and was in the hospital for the past month.

"Alright Kinomoto-san. I will prepare a packet of the homework and material you missed during your absence. I will most likely have that available tomorrow after school. I would also like to discuss some of my concerns with you joining my class so late. Will you be available?"

He was concerned if she could catch up with the month of math she missed. After all, they were already on anti-derivatives of trigonometric functions which was not so easy to learn.

Sakura nodded. "Hai, Terada-sensei." Her response was low and lethargic, yet incredibly articulate.

Terada scanned the class. Daidouji was still standing with her jaw practically on the floor as she took sight of her long-lost friend. "Please sit down please, Daidouji-san."

"Oh." She blushed and quickly sat down. A few students laughed.

"Kinomoto-san, go ahead and sit by Hiragizawa-san, right over there." Terada-sensei pointed to a blue-eyed young man with round glasses.

Kinomoto nodded and walked over to her seat, then set her supplies on her desk. She looked over at Daidouji, who gave her a look that screamed, _where the hell have you been?_

Kinomoto mouthed "Later", and the class settle back to normal.

x

* * *

x

"Where the hell have you been?" Tomoyo Daidouji shrieked as she stood in the hallway. Several students stopped and decided to listen in.

Sakura Kinomoto let out a small, sheepish grin. She spoke quietly, "This morning my toaster broke, so Julian and I decided to try-"

"No!" Tomoyo shook her head. "For the past _summer_? I have been so worried about you!"

Sakura immediately looked at her feet. "I was hit by a car."

Tomoyo had known Sakura for years now, and she knew that Sakura was lying.

"Liar." Tomoyo hissed.

"I'm not." Sakura said automatically.

"Yes you are!" Tomoyo blew up. A small group of people were beginning to form around them. "I can tell when you lie Sakura, you _always_ stare at you feet! And why are you lying to me, you know you can tell me anything!"

Sakura was silent. _No Tomoyo. Not anything._

"Could you just tell me what happened?" Tomoyo asked.

"I was hit by a car." Sakura repeated, looking her square in the eye.

"Come on, Sakura! I can't believe this. You know what people have been saying about you? They say that you were sent to rehab for meth and crack and all of this ridiculous stuff." Sakura stood, watching Tomoyo with distant expression. "I always defend you whenever I hear people talk. Especially at cheer, which, by the way, you were kicked off!"

Sakura blinked. "I was kicked off?" She repeated.

"Yes! You did miss all of summer practice, what did you expect? You would know if you tried to call me. I was so worried about you! I called you like a million times and no one picked up, and I _never_ got a response." She choked. Her eyes were watering.

Tomoyo wiped her eyes. The crowd had become quite large now. Sakura had nothing to say.

"You know what Sakura? Forget it. I'm tired of trying. If you're not going to tell me what really happened, don't ever bother talking to me."

And with that, Tomoyo walked off, pushing her way through the crowd as she left.

Sakura stood rooted to the ground. Her expression was sorrowful. People still crowded around, watching, waiting for her next move.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered to no one, and the crowd continued to stare.

Suddenly, the bell rang.

Sakura was in a terrible mood.

Her first day at school was horrible. She knew what people thought of her. She knew they were talking about her, but all she could here was "_Blah, blah, blah, I have nothing better to do with my time than to spread gossip._"

Some underclassman even had the nerve to ask her where he could buy the best cocaine. She just glared at him and he ran off.

It did not faze her that most students in her high school were complete idiots. She just wanted to talk to Tomoyo, maybe have a nice mindless conversation with her best friend, catch up and then head over to cheer practice.

Lying to her was awful. Of course she could catch her lies. Sakura deeply craved to tell Tomoyo everything and have some peace-of-mind for both of them, but she couldn't. Tomoyo would, in no way, be a part of her mess. She had been Sakura's best friend for years, and never questioned her more than she was comfortable with. Now that Tomoyo didn't want anything to do with her, she felt really lost.

For the past two and a half months, Sakura was unconscious in a hospital, recovering from an almost fatal gun-shot wound that was millimeters away from puncturing her heart. She was released from the hospital only two days before.

She walked in the front of the school waiting for her English guardian to pick her up.

Julian Star was twenty-three years old and originally from England. His family and the Kinomoto family had been very close. As a child, Julian was good friends with Sakura's older brother. When Sakura was only three years old, her mother, father, and older brother were killed in a simple car accident. The Star family then moved back to England, not being able to handle the tragedy of the Kinomotos. When Julian was eighteen, he attended a Japanese university were we was later united with the last Kinomoto. When Julian was twenty, he became Sakura's legal guardian.

What Sakura liked most about Julian was that he was ridiculously optimistic. He made every crisis seem manageable, which was what she needed at this point of her life.

Right on schedule, a black topless convertible pulled up in front of Sakura. Sitting in the driver seat was Julian Star beaming at her. Sakura got into the car.

"Ohayo, Sakura-chan! How was your first day of school?" He asked cheerfully, his big, round glasses glittered.

Sakura frowned and buckled her seat belt. Julian pulled the car ahead and started driving home.

"Terrible. Tomoyo blew up on me. I told her the usual bull and she didn't believe it, of course. I know I can't tell her the truth. Who knows what could happen to her?" She sighed. "Also, I learned I was kicked off the cheer team and Li-san replaced me as captain."

Sakura put on a pair of aviator sunglasses on that were lying on the dashboard.

"I'm sorry. I wish you were never involved in the whole business." Julian said.

Sakura shrugged and scanned the streets as they drove past, gazing at nothing in particular.

"Wait, Li-san? Are you talking about that one girl who used to try to get you into trouble?"

Sakura nodded, not looking at him. "She took my squad."

"No," Julian started. "Clow stole you. Because of that man, you missed out on all your cheer shenanigans. I'm sure you can get your spot back. "

Clow Reed was the head of the NIA, a savvy intelligence agency bent on infiltrating any and all suspicious activity in and around Japan.

"I doubt that." Sakura said miserably. She knew he was trying to help, but it didn't seem likely that she would be able to do what she loved anymore.

"Tell you what, Saku-chan." Julian said. "We'll go to your favorite ice cream shop and you can get whatever your heart desires."

Sakura looked over at him. "Really?"

"Of course." He smiled.

"Sounds good." Sakura smiled. Ice cream always made her feel better.

They drove to an ice cream parlor while Sakura looked over her new school text books.

Unknown to Sakura, a man was observing at her through a pair of binoculars on a roof top. He was speaking on a cellular phone.

He brushed his chestnut hair out of the way of his vision. "I see Kinomoto."

"_Excellent. Keep her under within your sight. This one is hard to get rid of._"

"Yes, sir." He watched as the girl and another man park and walk out of their car. They walked into an ice cream parlor.

"_Remember, I want you to break her, this girl has done so much, despite her age. Destroy her... and make sure you don't fail like the last guy did._"

The man smirked and set down his binoculars. "I never fail."

* * *

Review please :)


	2. 02: Clow Reed

**M A D W O R L D**

_The life of a teen spy is hard, especially for Kinomoto Sakura. Her family is dead, her best friend has abandoned her and everyone thinks she goes to rehab. Whats a girl to do? Certainly not... fall for the guy assigned to kill her. SS_

**Author's Note**:

This is a super-revised version of the original Mad World. There are little changes, but the plots basically the same.

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own CCS or the Alex Rider series.

**CHAPTER TWO**

**C L O W. R E E D. **

* * *

Sakura arrived at school a little earlier than usual. She planned on talking to her teachers in the morning so she wouldn't have to linger around after school any longer than she had to. This way, she could be saved by the bell rather than being stuck with long questions and mindless rambling that after-school time allows. She had already visited her other teachers, who either handed her a stack of work or had not arrived yet.

She strolled into her math class and noticed Terada-sensei shuffling his things. Sakura guessed that he just arrived.

Sakura cleared her throat. "Terada-sensei?"

He turned around. "Oh, Kinomoto-san. You are here early."

Sakura glanced to the side. "Hai. You said that you wanted to talk to me yesterday?"

"Oh yes." He said. "Give me a moment. I prepared a packet for you."

Sakura nodded and took a seat while waiting. Early-riser students began to enter the class room.

After setting up his materials for the day, Terada walked over to her and placed a packet of papers on the desk in front of her.

"These are all the assignments you missed. I also took the liberty of writing down the page numbers of the sections were covered and what would help."

There were a lot of papers.

"Thank you, sir." She tried to sound as nice as she could.

"No problem. I am also concerned how long it would take you to catch up with the rest of the class." He said.

"I'll be fine." Sakura said. _Probably. _Math was not her strongest subject, but she was sure Julian would help her out. It wasn't like she had anything better to do.

"Well, there's a very good math and science tutoring program available here on campus. College students from the local university come here Monday through Thursday. And these students are majoring in the subject they tutor, so they know what they are doing."

Sakura groaned inside. More time at school? When she didn't have to be?

"Maybe." She said.

Terada frowned. "I am going to make it required for you to go. You missed a lot of information. Normally the cost of the tutoring program is high, but I will try to get it waived for your case. "

Great. "Oh, thank you so much. I'm sure it will help a lot. Math was never my best subject." Sakura said with the appearance of sincerity and gratitude.

More students had arrived in the class. School was about to start.

"Of course, Kinomoto-san! That is what teachers are suppose to do! Now, if you look over the packet I prepared, I wrote down days when you can turn in specific work. You can work off that with your tutor."

"Hai. Thank you again." Sakura said. When he walked away to write the morning practice problems on the board, Sakura sank in her seat.

Great.

It was lunch time.

Sakura leaned against a nice cherry blossom tree, mindlessly shoving food down her throat even though she was not remotely hungry.

School had become a prison. Fellow classmen would act as if she had some infectious disease. They wouldn't get too close or talk to her about anything that didn't have to do with drug usage or distribution.

She could not blame them. She _did_ look terminally ill. Sakura was very thin; she had lost a lot of weight and color. She had scars from Clow's previous assignments. She just looked awful; her uniform was not as flattering as is was before. The pale blue blazer more her skin seem ultra pale. The black skirt she was required to wear awkwardly hung off her hips and made her legs appear extremely thin. Her tube socks wouldn't stay up on her legs.

Sakura watched students behind fat sunglasses as she continued to throw food in her mouth. It hurt her to see all the worry-free attitudes her classmates possessed. She envied them greatly. What she missed most was her cheerleading team. She wanted to join so badly, but doubted that they would let her back on the team.

She should have been more careful. She should have worn a Kevlar vest when she stepped out of the office. Of course she would have been a target, after ruining the terrorist organization and saving the world.

Sakura rubbed her eyes from behind her sunglasses and pulled out a fat-stack of papers she received from her history class. Glancing over the first assignment, she saw that she already needed to read twenty-five pages from a text book and write a five-page analysis about some historical event. She put it back in her backpack and started working on a tasty pop-tart instead.

At the moment, Clow's assignments seemed a little more appealing.

Then suddenly her cell phone rang.

The school secretary was sitting mindlessly on her comfy chair, looking through student's profiles on her computer out of boredom. She read the addresses on some of the students profiles and frowned. Some kids lived in the very nice, very expensive parts of town. She envied them.

"Ahem."

The secretary looked over at the window. It must be a parent...

Or not. There was a tall, extremely buff man standing awkwardly in a polo shirt and sunglasses. His light hair was buzzed and he looked more like a body guard or security officer than anything.

The man cleared his throat a second time and the secretary realized she was gawking. "M-may I help you with s-something?" She stuttered, intimidated by the man's appearance.

The man nodded curtly. "I need to take my kid to the doctor."

The secretary nodded. "H-hai. What is his n-name?"

"Her." The man corrected. "Kinomoto Sakura. I am her legal guardian, _Julian Star_."

The secretary pulled up Kinomoto Sakura's profile. Oh yeah. That girl. That was the one girl who always missed so much school.

"Uh... what is the purpose for her leaving?" She asked.

"Doctor's appointment! That girl was in the hospital for a month after getting hit by a fricken' car, woman!"

The secretary blushed. "R-right. Um... The students are on lunch break, I'll h-have to page her..."

"No worries. I called her phone, she should be-" The man paused. "There she is!"

"Kero-pin? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, a little surprised to see her trainer here.

The woman failed to hear the girl's response.

"Time for the doctor, Sakura-chan."

The secretary held out a small sheet for the man to sign. He signed it, his signature was only a straight line and a squiggle.

"She'll be back shortly, just a quick check-up."

The secretary nodded and watch the strange man walk out of the school with Kinomoto-san.

Sakura walked over to the silver, bullet-proof Bentley that was parked in front of the school. She got into the car in the front seat after throwing her stuff in the back.

"I'm surprised you're not complaining, Sakura." The man said.

Whenever Sakura was pulled out of school like this, it was usually for a last minute mission. She hated them and usually tried to talk her way out of them. She always failed, of course.

"School isn't exactly inviting at the moment." She rolled her eyes. "I hope you and Reed-san know that I am not going on another mission. I can't even do a push-up."

The car started gliding across the pavement without a sound.

The man smiled through his sunglasses. "Not a mission, but this little meeting is just as important."

"Right." Sakura replied.

The man driving was Keroberos. Sakura did not know his real name, but she did know that he had worked for Clow's agency for a long time. He had received the name "Keroberos" some time during the seventies. Sakura wanted a code name like that too, like something ridiculous and random like Cherry Blossom or Cardcaptor.

He stuck with the name ever since. Sakura liked to call him cute names like Kero-chan or Kero-rin, just to piss him off.

The rest of the drive was fairly quiet. When they arrived at their destination, Sakura stepped out of the car and grabbed her things. She looked at the building.

The NIA headquarters was disguised as a bank. At the top of the tall building was a plain sign that read "National Bank". Sakura didn't know if the building actually worked as a bank as well.

Sakura and Keroberos walked into the building. It looked like an ordinary bank. There were people working behind tellers. A few of them looked at Sakura, although she did not return their gaze.

She headed straight for the elevator.

The two walked into the elevator. The doors slid shut and it stalled on the floor for a moment. Sakura knew that heat sensors were scanning her body, checking to see if she had any weapons that would stand out on the screen, like a gun or a bazooka.

The elevator suddenly shot up to the top of the building. Sakura did little more than swagger a bit. She was used to it, of course.

The elevator door popped open, and Sakura and Keroberos stepped out into the hallway.

At the end of the hall was an automatic door. The two stood out in front of it for a moment until the door swung open.

"Konichiwa, Kinomoto-chan." A voice in the room greeted.

Sakura entered the room. "What do you want now, Reed?" Her tone was not very friendly.

Clow Reed. He was the head director of the NIA. He had a sharp, handsome face and jet black hair. He was brilliant. He was evil.

He merely smiled. "Sit." He gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk.

The door slid closed behind her. Kero was gone.

"I'm fine where I stand."

Reed nodded. "Did Keroberos tell you anything?"

Sakura shook her head. "He didn't. Just so you are well aware of my status, I am not going on another mission. I_ cannot_."

"Kinomoto-chan, you are a valuable agent. I know whether or not you are physically able to work. But what you are here for is not a work proposal, this meeting is meant to discuss your personal safety, especially now that you know, from personal experience, that you are wanted dead. Now please, if you will, take a seat."

His tone was firm.

Sakura sighed in defeat and slowly made her way toward the seat in front of his desk. Reed swiftly walked over to his desk and sat down on a black leather chair across from Sakura.

"Okay." Sakura said, and folder her hands on her lap.

Reed quickly pressed a button on his phone and waited. It beeped, and a voice spoke soft curtly from the line.

"_May I help you, Reed-san?_"

"Kinomoto-chan has arrived."

"_Hai._"

Reed hung up the phone by pressing another button. He turned to his desk and opened a drawer, pulled out a folder, then shut the drawer. He looked at Sakura.

"Today, several of our sources informed this agency that _six_ assassination organizations have your profile." He said in a frightfully serious tone. Her heart sank. She was silent.

He was quiet for a moment. "Like I said moments ago, you are a valuable agent. The incident after your arrival three months ago opened the eyes of many, and now this agency has seen how much you are truly worth."

If Sakura had cared enough, she would have blushed. He was complimenting her, something he never did in the past.

"Once you leave this building, you will be properly equipped with items that will promote your safety."

As if it was staged, the door buzzed and a pretty woman walked into the room, pushing a metal cart inside. She stood with the cart besides Reed's desk. Sakura watched her.

"Now," Reed started.

The woman held up a black bullet-proof vest for Sakura to see, then set it down.

"First off, you will be wearing a Kevlar vest from now on. This specific one has been made customary for you alone, designed so it will not show from under your clothing."

The women held up a trendy Hawaiian style anklet with six small beads woven into it. She set it down after Sakura was finished observing it.

"The next item is a tracking and communication device. It allows this agency to know where you are at all times. As for communication, if you break the beads on the ends, it will inform this agency that you are in a bad situation. For our equanimity, try not to step on it."

The woman then held up an expensive looking chain link Tiffany's bracelet. A silver heart with Sakura's initials was engraved on it, and on each side of the heart was a red and green stone. One end had a clasp and the other had a pretty yet very small bulb hanging off it.

"This next item will detect if a drink is either poisoned or drugged. Just move your wrist over your drink and allow the sensor to dip into it for at least three seconds. When the green stone flashes, the drink is safe. It the red stone flashes, do not drink the liquid and get out of where ever you are as quickly as possible."

Sakura nodded.

"The next item..."

The woman held up a small stick of lip moisturizer.

"If you turn the cap and press it inward, it shoots a small needle filled with tranquilizer. It has twelve needles inside. It also doubles as flavored lip balm."

Reed stood up and nodded to the woman. She bowed and walked out of the room.

"Now." Reed started. He picked up the folder from his desk and took out a slip of paper and gave it to Sakura. "This is your after school schedule for the next month."

Sakura read over the schedule. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays were her usual Martial Art lesson from five to seven. Tuesdays and Thursdays were scheduled for cardio and some random work outs like Pilates. Saturday was an all training day, and Sunday was training from ten until two in the afternoon.

She didn't have time to do anything fun.

Sakura sighed. "Why don't you just send me away to one of the training camps like you usually do?" Sakura asked. She actually preferred to train in the wretched training camps then stay at the wretched school.

"If you were sent away, more people would get involved in your search. Your fellow classmates and Julian might be harmed." Reed answered reasonably. "Besides. This is your last year of high school. You shouldn't miss it."

Sakura nodded, slightly disappointed. "Is that all you wanted to say?"

Reed nodded. "Keroberos will take you back to school. Be sure to wear your vest."

His quickly walked out of his office, leaving Sakura alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Review please :)


	3. 03: Surviellance

**M A D W O R L D**

_The life of a teen spy is hard, especially for Kinomoto Sakura. Her family is dead, her best friend has abandoned her and everyone thinks she goes to rehab. Whats a girl to do? Certainly not... fall for the guy assigned to kill her. SS_

**Author's Note**:

This is a super-revised version of the original Mad World. There are little changes, but the plots basically the same.

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own CCS or the Alex Rider series.

**S U R V E I L L A N C E. **

* * *

It was a chilly Sunday morning. Sunrise was only several hours away. The man put a black beanie over his head and swept aside all the hair that was blocking his vision.

He wanted to shave his head, hair was such a nuisance. His was especially messy and uncooperative. Everyone he knew insisted he kept it the way it was. They told him it made him look like a teenager, and people were easily fooled by teens. Take Kinomoto, for example! He would tell them that technically, he was still a teen. Nine_teen_.

He walked to the truck of his car which popped open on command. He grabbed a black backpack sitting within the scattered mess and quietly shut the trunk.

While walking to the building, he took a second to glance at the marquee glowing in the middle of the grass lawn.

_COME SUPPORT THE SEIJYO SOCCER _

_TEAM AT 8PM FRIDAY- HOME GAME_

The man rolled his eyes.

High school.

After silently walking up the entry was steps, he stopped in front of one of the three double doors, choosing the middle entrance. He dug through his pockets and pulled out two pins.

With evident experience, he knelt down and skillfully slid his metal pins into the keyhole to unlock the door. It clicked when he was finished.

But instead of pushing the door open, he first slid a thin magnetic device underneath the door and waited for a second.

He heard a beep from within the building, and the door popped open.

He had temporarily deactivated the school's security system. He had an hour until it would turn on again, although he didn't even need an hour.

He strolled inside. The lobby of the school was dark. He noticed a trophy case filled with metals, ribbons, plaques and of course, trophies.

Every time his shoe made contact with the vinyl composition tile floors, a soft sound would echo off the walls. Suddenly, a device in his pocket beeped. He took it out and a light on the right side of it began to flash.

He smiled to himself. So the room was bugged. The sound of his footsteps had been picked up from a recording device somewhere in the room. His device had picked up the recording bug picking up the sound of his steps. He turned to his right and walked forward. The counter surveillance device was supposed to flash quicker as the person neared the bug.

It started flashing faster.

The man found a wire neatly hidden on the frame of a door. He followed it and found what he was looking for. Pulling out a pair of wire cutters from one of his pockets, he slipped his device back into his pocket and clipped the wire.

He man figured someone else was already surveying Kinomoto. Too bad for them. He had already known that there were other people trying to kill her, all taking their time, of course. People tried to kill her in the past, and they all had failed.

In his mind, he _knew _he would be the one who got her. He would get his payment for her destruction, and a large payment that would be.

For the next twenty minutes, the man strolled around the school, de-bugging the halls. He even took it upon himself to go into several classrooms and de-bug those, too.

He grinned, feeling like he gained the upper hand. He had already devised a plan that would put him closer to the Kinomoto girl than any other competing assassin could. He had an insider who told him everything he wanted to know about the Kinomoto girl, and had unknowingly advised him about the only place on the school that was worth monitoring.

He unlocked the door leading to the courtyard and scanned the area. Counting his time, he went off to finish his task.

* * *

**Sunday Morning**

"Sir?"

"What."

"All of our recording devices have been disconnected."

"All of them? That's preposterous! Since when?"

"The first one was disconnected at one ten this morning."

"Hm. Just as I should have expected."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"We aren't the only people after her. There are many people who want her dead. Probably every assassination organization in Japan is on her."

"What should we do?"

"We need to formulate a plan to get her first. Not kill her. No. Not yet. We need to capture her so everyone knows that we are the people who have her. Then, we will receive all of their rewards. Do you know how much money is backing up her death?"

"No, sir."

"Bayhem Industries is offering _five hundred-thousand pounds_. Maho Kyoto is offering _two hundred million yen_. Giovanni Poccinio, _seven hundred fifty thousand euro_. The list goes on."

"Oh my."

"If they all knew we had Kinomoto, then they would throw their money at us. Or, they might even raise their prices for her, if she was alive. Think of the possibilities. We could auction her off to the highest bidder. Then they could do what they want to her themselves..."

"What do we do then, sir?"

"Make sure you know Kinomoto's daily schedule. Know where she lives, what streets she takes to school, what after school activities she takes part in, who her best friend is, her boyfriend... _everything_."

"Yes, sir."

"The sooner the better. Then, I can set an appropriate trap. We will be the ones who get her. I can _feel_ it."

* * *

Julian stopped the car and allowed Sakura to put on her roller-blades. It was Monday morning, and she had already been attending school for a week. He thought that she was pushing herself too hard, trying to juggle school and training. She looked so tired all the time, and Julian was very worried.

"Do you have your vest?" Julian asked.

"Yup." She tightened the strap on her left roller-blade, responding in English. Her grandfather had taught her how to speak English, and she learned French and Chinese as well. She liked to perfect her accent sometimes, seeing that being proficient in many languages was very useful. Since Julian was originally from England, he enjoyed speaking in his native tongue whenever he could. In Japan, he didn't do that very often.

"Bracelet?" He asked, switching to English.

Sakura strapped on her knee pads and allowed her special bracelet to shine in his vision. "Yup."

"Anklet?"

"Yup."

Julian paused, thinking of her last gadget. "Chap stick?" He said thoughtfully.

"I have everything Julian, don't worry. I am completely armed and dangerous." She smiled gently. Her face was so pale compared the how it was before the shot, and it pained him to see her that way.

"I know, I know." Julian said. "I just want to make sure. You never know what may happen."

She nodded and stepped out of the car. She grabbed her backpack from the backseat and backed away from the car, ready to leave.

"Do you have your lunch?" Julian asked.

Sakura nodded.

"Alright then... have fun at school!"

"Right. Fun." She laughed bitterly. "Bye Julian!" Sakura waved, and skated away. Julian watched for a moment and made sure she was safely on her way to school. After he saw she was okay, he put his car into drive and drove away.

He hated having to drop her off and make her roller-blade to school. He would feel much better if he could just drive her all the way, but Clow would have none of that. He had told Julian it would be better if Sakura was let out at random places from the town. Unpredictability would throw off any pursuers trying to find a pattern in her schedule.

Clow also told him that she needed to be as unpredictable as possible, given the weak state she was in. That would lower the rate of possible traps she could fall in.

Julian told them that going to Seijyo was predictable.

Clow told him not to worry about it.

But Julian couldn't help but feel worried.

Sakura sat on the steps to the entrance of her high school, removing all of her protective gear. People stared at her as they walked up the steps. Knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, helmet. What a weirdo, they probably thought. When she was younger, she used to think wearing all of that protection was ridiculous.

Now, she realized, it could really come in handy.

She stuffed all her gear in her bag and entered the high school, heading towards her locker. She ignored all the stares.

As she stepped inside the building, she stopped. Students slowed their pace and watched her curiously, wondering what she was up to.

Something felt... odd, Sakura thought. Like something was missing.

Cautiously, she walked to her locker, her eyes scanning everything in sight. She must have looked very strange as she observed everything, because someone whispered, "Bet she's stoned."

Sakura ignored it. She set the bag full of her roller-blade gear inside her locker and dropped her high calorie lunch inside. She quickly glanced at her reflection in a mirror on the door of her locker. Pale, almost gaunt face. Dull hair. Dull eyes. Sakura frowned and quickly shut her locker. When she turned around, a student was in her way.

"Hey Kinomoto." The student said. He was taller than her, with blond hair and dark eyes. Sakura had no idea who he was. She guessed he was an under classmen.

"Hi." She responded.

"I was wondering," he scratched his head nervously. "If you could get me any bud…"

Sakura paused for a moment. Was he really asking her for drugs?

"No, I can't." She rolled her eyes and walked off, leaving the boy alone.

The bell rang suddenly, and Sakura made her way toward her homeroom. Nothing had changed during the weekend. Fellow students were still pointing and whispering as she passed.

Sakura walked into Terada's class, not bothering to look at the people staring at her.

Would things ever change? She thought sadly. Tomoyo was talking to Meilin, Sakura could hear. She set her stuff down on her desk and prepared to sit down.

"Kinomoto-san?" Terada-sensei called.

Sakura looked up. "Hai?"

He walked over to her desk. "I have arranged a tutor for you. He will be available every Tuesday and Thursday after school for about an hour. Will that work out for you?"

Sakura paused. Tuesdays and Thursdays? Maybe she could get out of Pilates.

"Yes, that will work." She said.

"Excellent. I thought of something to make going to these worthwhile. Every tutoring session you go to will substitute a quiz grade." He seemed very excited about his idea.

"Okay." Sakura replied. Terada kept talking.

"There have been quite a few quizzes, so this will end up being a huge help to you. You can do your make-up work with your tutor. It will work out well and you won't have any problems catching up in my class!" He said enthusiastically.

Sakura nodded. "Thank you so much, Terada-sensei."

"Of course." Terada beamed, and then went on to start his class.

* * *

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